On Sun, 16 May 2004 01:11:51 GMT, EDR wrote:

I just came from my flying club's office where I scheduled a plane for
tomorrow (Sunday).
Both of the club's 182 are down for inspections and maintenance after
hard landings. Two weeks ago, the club's Katana went down for the same
reason. Three airplanes in two weeks!!!
What are flight instructors allowing to pass for landings before
signing students off for solo and PPL's for checkouts!!!
If they are not holding the nosewheel off, they are going to break it
off or bend the firewall!!!
This is where tailwheel training comes in.
It's about time the Feds require that all students must spend the first
20 hours of their training in taildraggers. It's the only way they are
going to learn propper control input on landings.


I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I tend to agee with you. I
worked at an airport that used a Cub as the Primary trainer until
solo. Then the students switched to a 172 for ticket completion (but
could solo the Cub if they wanted). Average was abou 10-12 hours in
the Cub. I have to say some of the best low time Private pilot's I've
known were products of that methodology.

Basics are the best foundation, and an under powered tailwheel
airplane without alot of radios sure does teach the basics of Flight!

z

(Just so you don't think I'm blowing my own horn, I didn't do much
instruction at that time, I mostly watched how the students
progressed.)